Leaders of FAAN

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Maria L. Acebal, J.D.

Maria L. Acebal, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer, Fairfax, VA
Maria joined FAAN in November 2009. She is responsible for the strategic direction and overall management of FAAN. Maria holds a B.A. degree in mathematics from Duke University, and a J.D. degree from Yale Law School. Prior to joining FAAN, she founded Safe@School Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to helping schools, camps, and childcare facilities become safer places for kids with life-threatening food allergies. Earlier in her career, Maria practiced law at one of the country’s leading litigation firms, Williams & Connolly, and then joined the global consulting firm of McKinsey & Co. Maria has three children, the oldest of whom is allergic to peanuts.
Janet Atwater Janet Atwater
Chair, FAAN Board of Directors, Chadds Ford, PA
Janet Atwater has been a member of FAAN for more than 13 years, joining after her son was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. Janet joined the FAAN Board of Directors in 2006. Her work experience includes founding the New Albany Women's Network (NAWN) in Columbus, OH, a 501(c)3 organization that unified a diverse group of women through charitable, social, educational, and community outreach programs. Since stepping down as president of the NAWN, she has provided assistance in strategic planning, board governance, fundraising, and leadership development for a variety of churches, schools, and nonprofit organizations. She holds a B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Hugh Sampson, M.D. Hugh A. Sampson, M.D.
Medical Advisory Board Director, New York, NY
Hugh A. Sampson, M.D. is a professor of pediatrics and immunobiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is the Director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute and Dean of Translational Biomedical Science at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. He received his M.D. from University at Buffalo State University of New York School of Medicine. Dr. Sampson's research interests have focused on food-allergic disorders, including work on the immuno-pathogenic role of food hypersensitivity in atopic dermatitis, the pathogenesis of food-induced anaphylaxis, characterization of food-induced gastrointestinal hypersensitivities, characterization of food allergens, and novel immunotherapeutic strategies for treating food allergies.